Spool holder



J. L. REYNOLDS Nov. 4, 1952 ATTORNEY SPOOL HOLDER Filed Aug. 2, 1949 Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE James L. Reynolds, Elizabethton, Tenn., asslgnor,

by mesne assignments, to Beaunit Mills, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 2, 1949, Serial N 0. 108,166

: 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a yarn-packaging system applicable to winding machines of the type wherein the material per se on the spools or other packages undergoing, winding engages-frictionally with rotating driving elementscarried by the machine. V

In winding machines of this type, the driving elements comprise rotating drums, rollers, or the like, covered with a friction surface such as rubber, cork, canvas, or the like, against which bear the driven members, which are constituted as spools or rollers on' which the thread or yarn is to be wound. The material undergoing winding therefore acts as the power-transmitting medium between the driving and the driven members. After a predetermined quantity thereof has collected on the driven member the latter must be replaced by an empty one, the full member being usually brought out of contact with the driving member manually or through agency of devices responsiveto the amount of material that has accumulated on the driven member.

The driven members heretofore employed in surface-driven winding machines of the afore said type usually comprise solid roller-like structures provided with laterally extending stud shafts. carried ,in quickly" removable fashion in socket-like bearings on the machine frame. Such rollers must be accurately machined to insure uniform winding and are therefordexpensive. When a roller is filled it must be removed and so long as yarn remains thereon, the roller is kept out of use and an empty one of equal quality must be substituted for it.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a yarn-packagingsystem wherein the usual expensive solid rollers are replaced by an allocated minimum number of accurate arbors on which, however, relatively inexpensive but accurate, easily produced, interchangeable sleeves that serve as the actual yarnor-thread-collecting means can be successively mounted. An additional object is to provide means for latching such sleeves in assembled relation on the arbor portion while the winding is taking place but adapted so as to permit immediate removal of a material-laden sleeve from the arbor portion for replacement by an empty sleeve.

Another object of the invention is to-provide a smoothly acting, resilient, frictionally-operated latching means for retaining the arbor and sleeve portions in assembled relation during winding operations. I

To this end the packagingdeviceof the system is constituted of an arbor portion and a sleeve 2 portion, the latter fitting lengthwise and frictionally over the former, the sleeve being provided near its ends with circumferential internal grooves of substantially hemispherical cross-section into which spring-urged latching members of similar substantially hemispherical shape carried by the arbor portion, engage. An extremely accurate and smooth-acting latching action is thus obtained.

The arrangement is illustrated in the drawing, where:

Fig. 1 shows the arbor portion and cooperating sleeve in separated condition.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross section through the arbor and sleeve, the parts being shown in assembled condition.

Fig. 3 is a section through the arbor portion taken along line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an outside end view of the device as assembled.

Referring to the drawing, the yarn packaging arrangement comprises a hollow sleeve portion indicated generally at l and an arbor portion over which the sleeve 1 fits. The arbor portion may be a solid cylinder but for economy in manufacture it is preferably constituted of a plurality of readily machined and assembled separate mem bers such as the hollow cylindrical portion 2 and the end members 3 and 4; The latter are held in place in the portion 2 in any suitable manner as by being forced into place, cemented, pinned, or fastened by screws. In the preferred embodiment, and likewise for convenience in manufac ture, flanges 5 and 6 are provided on the end members 3 and 4. One of the flanges, for example, 6, however, extends up beyond the surface of portion 2 to serve as a limiting stop and position-defining means for the sleeve portion I when the latter is slipped lengthwise over the member 2 of the arbor portion.

'The sleeve I is provided at a short distance from each edge with a circumferential groove 1 of substantially hemispherical cross section. The arbor is provided with a suitable number of peripherally spaced spring-urged friction latching devices. Each device is constituted of a substantially hemispherically shaped head 8 protruding through a retaining yoke 9 under the action of a coil spring Ill bearing against, a flange 13 on the bottom of the head member 8 and larger than the aperture in the yoke 9 through which the head 8 passes. The latching devices are preferably constituted as assembled units adapted for mounting in one of the end members, e. g. end member 4, as by' drilling circumferen tially spaced holes therein as shown in Fig. 3 and frlctionally inserting the devices or otherwise securing them therein. When mounted in place, the tops of the substantially hemispherically shaped heads 8 extend above the surface of the cylindrical portion 2 of the arbor portion to an extent that will permit the head 8 to snap smoothly into and substantially fill the correspondingly shaped groove 1 of the sleeve I when the latter is longitudinally pushed into place, the inside peripheral edges of sleeve I being suitably chamfered to permit easy positioning thereof on the arbor portion.

The arbor portion of the device is provided with means for mounting the same on the winding machine, such as stud shafts H screwed into the end members of the arbor ,portion as at 1.3 and retained by locknuts 12. A unitary shaft extending entirely through the arbor portionand having laterally extending stud ends may also be-used.

Thepartsof the arbor and sleeve may bemade of any suitable material. The-sleeve however is preferably made of a suitable readily molded and machinable synthetic resin, of laminated structure if desired. A set of spring-actuated latches may also, if desired, be disposed ateach .end of the arbor .portion, that is, mounted in peripherally spaced relation to each other in end .memher 4 as well as inend member 3. An internal peripheral groove i is preferably provided ateach end ,of the sleeve, thus making it unnecessary for the operator to ascertain which end has the groove that cooperates with the latches.

The operation of the arrangement is as follows:

Only a predetermined allocated number of arbor portions, as shown at the left hand side of Fig. l or interiorly of .Fig. 2, need be provided for each winding machine. However any desired number of sleeves I may be provided for successive interchangeable use on the aforesaid arbors. In use, a sleeve is slipped onto an arbor; the assembledunit is then placed in position on the winding machine soas to cause-the sleeveto contactwith a frictional driving member of the machine. .The yarn, thread or the like that is to be packaged is suitably attached to the surface of the sleeve and allowed to accumulate thereon, the rotation of the'sleeve and arbor unit being efiected by contact of the accumulated material with the frictional driving member of the machine. When sufhcient material has collected onthe sleeve, the entire unit is removed from the machine, the full sleeve 1 is slipped on from the arbor portion and replaced by an empty sleeve.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mandrel of .thetype adapted for carrying interchangeable sleeves intended for Winding yarn or the like thereon which are providedwith internal circumferential grooves and the mandrel with yieldable latching elements protruding, from thesurface thereof and engaging in ,saidgrooves to holdsaid sleeves in position, the improvement consisting in constituting mandrel as a structure comprising two spaced short cylindrical end members each having a radially extending flange at the outer side, a tubular member tightly fitted to said end members, theends of said tubular member abutting against said flanges, the outer suriace of said tubular member serving as .the support for the interchangeable sleeves, the jflange at the outer sideofone of sai'dend members..exte r1d n iabove the surrace of said tubular member to serve as a stop for positioning the interchangeable sleeves on said mandrel, the flange on the other of said end members terminating flush with the surface of said tubular member to permit insertion of said mandrel into and removal of said mandrel from the interchangeable sleeve, a plurality of spring-pressed latching members protruding peripherally above the surface .of said tubular member (along a line corresponding to the location of a groove in the interchangeable sleeve, sockets extending through said tubular member and into one of said end members for housing said spring-pressed latching .memberstheportion of said latching members that protrude above the surface of said tubular member being of substantially hemispherical shape.

2. In theman'dr'el as recited in claim 1, Wherein -thes,p1fing-pressed latching members comprise elements each having substantially hemispherical shape .at .the top, each .of said elements having afiange at the.bottoni,,each.of said sockets comprising a yoke encompassing .said latching members, anaperture insaid yoke through which the substantially hemispherical portion of the corresponding one of said elements protrude, .said flange on each of said elements preventing the complete emergence thereof, a spring ,within said yoke lb earing .againstYthe-bottom' thereof and against the corresponding one dfsaid elements, said yoke 1; being ,carried in frictionally fitting ,relation in said sockets extending through said tubular memberand into one .of'lsaid end. mem- 3L-1In ,a mandrelof thetype adapted forearrying I'interchanQ'BabIe sleeves .for ,winding .yarn or the like thereon' compris ing' a round hollow cylinder, a memgv sie' round sleeve positioned over said 'fcylinder, said cylinder Qand .said sleeve being substantially coextensive, round end members tightly fittedito the ends of said hollow cylinder, stud "shafts threaded into said .round endmembers andprojecting fromthesides thereof, one ,of said end members having a plurality of radially.disposed'jlioles, said holes extending through-the end iofgsaid cylinder fitted ,to said last .mentioned end me ber, .said'lholes being substantially ,eguallyispaced around the circumference of Qsaid" 'cylinde r, a ,spring' positioned in eachoflsaidlholes, a plurality of substantially hemisphericalgmeinbers,1 one or" .said hemispherical members being positioned over the spring in each .of ,said holes, {the headsi of ,said hemispherical members projectinglabove the surface o f said cylinder ,so. as ,to yieldably engage the inner surface of said sleeve {at Ispaced pointsrto retain said sleeve on said cylinder during the winding cfyarnlonsaidsleeve.

.4. amandrel-Iof the type adapted .for carrying interchangeable sleeves for winding ,yarn or the like thereon fco'mpri'singa round hollow cylinder, Qa Lremovable round ,sleev e positioned oversaidcylinder, saidcylinder and said sleeve being substantiallylcoextensive, ,round. end members tigl tly-nttedfinto the ends of ,said hollow l mi pn ssidsa m r h v rality cf radially disposed holes, said holes extending throughthe endof said cylinder fitted to said las t mentioned end member, said holes being substantially equally spaced around the circumferenceof saidcylinder, a socket fitted into each of saidhidles, aspring .positioned in each of said sockets, a plurality of substantially hsln sebsr ce 11 i i l ir 1 Of i hemispherica a i mber beie iipsi ion d. prer thesprin i 5 each of said sockets, the heads of said hemispherical members projecting above the surface of said cylinder so as to yieldably engage the inner surface of said sleeve at spaced points to retain said sleeve on said cylinder during the 5 winding of yarn on said sleeve.

JAMES L. REYNOLDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Hasler et a1. Mar. 9, 1926 Thomas Dec. 26, 1944 Markle Aug. '7, 1945 Welch Mar. 4, 1947 Hill June 28, 1949 

